Concern Over Treatment By Surgeon At Royal Cornwall Hospital

Specialist medical lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have expressed concern as the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) has written to 1,500 patients of gynaecologist Doctor Rob Jones after he was suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC).

Law firm Irwin Mitchell has a specialist team in the South West to work with patients who may have suffered complications as a result of Dr Rob Jones surgery and has already been instructed to investigate treatment he carried out.

The Trust is now reviewing his work and also the way it handled previous concerns regarding his treatment and an expert at Irwin Mitchell says this must be carried out as quickly as possible to provide answers for the patients concerned.

Julie Lewis, a specialist medical lawyer at Irwin Mitchell said: “The number of people potentially affected by this review of Dr Rob Jones work is staggering. Former patients will be very concerned at hearing the news and we urge anyone who believes they may be affected to call a special helpline number set up by the Trust and seek expert medical advice immediately.

“Our specialist team of medical lawyers in the South West is already working with a patient of Dr Jones who is worried about the standard of her care. There remain questions over how long it has taken for the suspension to take place, but the trust has now committed to reviewing not only the treatment of the people affected but also why there was not earlier action.

“It is vital that the Trust carries out both these investigations as soon as possible so that any necessary further treatment can take place and so that important lessons can learned to prevent others suffering in future.”
A report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in May contains a number of serious concerns about Dr Jones including the frequency patients returned to theatre and worries over his use of guidelines and note-taking. The report also raises concerns about the way the RCHT managed the situation.

The Trust said concerns had been raised about his competency since 2000 and that eight reviews had been carried out into his work before he was suspended, although it was not until May this year that Rob Jones, who delivered David Cameron’s daughter Florence in 2010, was suspended. This prompted him to resign and remove himself from the GMC Register.

A hot-line has been set up for concerned patients - 0800 1804 514 – and is open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays.